This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art.
Electrical systems within vehicles, such as hybrid, electric, and fuel cell vehicles, have advanced in complexity and power usage. Such vehicles can use an electric motor in combination with a battery power source. The battery can power the vehicle alone or can work in conjunction with another power source, such as an internal combustion engine.
High power output and large capacity batteries can be used as the power source; e.g., nickel-metal hydride or lithium-ion polymer batteries. A number of battery cells can be connected in series or parallel with each other so as to construct a larger battery assembly. The battery cells can be packaged together with various mechanical and electrical couplings between the battery cells to form the assembly. Battery cells can include prismatic batteries or pouch-shaped batteries that can be placed in a stacked relationship to reduce space and overall size of the assembly. Such battery cells can exhibit changes in thickness during charging/discharging and over their lifetime.
Heat can be generated by the battery cells during charging and discharging processes. Heat that accumulates in the battery assembly can adversely affect the battery cells. Consequently, a cooling system can be provided to maintain a desirable operating temperature. Such cooling systems can include air blown over the cells and/or liquid cooling systems can be used. These cooling systems, however, can present high manufacturing and maintenance costs, and issues may arise due to the relatively high number of parts, including seals and joints needed between parts.